Did I just ruin my car?
October 25, 2015 10:26 AM Subscribe
I purchased a used car from a neighbor about a month ago. Right after I got it, I had the oil changed at a local place. I went out to check the oil this morning and do other car maintenance stuff and there was just a liiiiittle dot of oil on the bottom at the bottom of the dipstick. Ugh.
I have a 95 honda civic. It has ~110k miles on it. The mechanic who changed the oil did not note any leaks to me. Although I didn't ask either. I haven't noticed any leaks underneath the car at all.
I realize now that the engine was running a little loud, but had not noticed due to the fact that I just got the car and wasn't accustomed to its "sound" yet. I thought, this engine is old and probably just a little loud, no biggie....
I ended up immediately putting 4 quarts of oil in the car, which I understand now was probably not such a good idea. I am scared I over-filled it (if thats even a thing?). Not sure if this is relevant, but at the time I checked the dipstick, the car had been sitting for ~24 hours, and was on a slanted driveway. The car has never overheated, smoked, or smelled burn-y. The engine doesn't sound crazy loud for an old car, no knocking, grinding, or jackhammer sounds either. Now that I put the oil in, it does sound quieter and smoother.
At any rate, my mechanic is closed today and I am filled with dread that I just totally destroyed my engine. The extent of my driving is about 120 miles a week to and from school. I am extremely poor and can barely afford groceries right now (I'm a student, who was just laid off) so my anxiety about this is running high. I realize my huge mistake in not checking the oil sooner. I feel terribly stupid for this.
Can anyone lend any insight to my ordeal? Is my engine likely to be destroyed?
I will obviously call my mechanic asap tomorrow but would like some anecdotal advice if anyone can help. Practical advice is very much welcome as well (should I drive it around to get the oil moving? etc)
I have a 95 honda civic. It has ~110k miles on it. The mechanic who changed the oil did not note any leaks to me. Although I didn't ask either. I haven't noticed any leaks underneath the car at all.
I realize now that the engine was running a little loud, but had not noticed due to the fact that I just got the car and wasn't accustomed to its "sound" yet. I thought, this engine is old and probably just a little loud, no biggie....
I ended up immediately putting 4 quarts of oil in the car, which I understand now was probably not such a good idea. I am scared I over-filled it (if thats even a thing?). Not sure if this is relevant, but at the time I checked the dipstick, the car had been sitting for ~24 hours, and was on a slanted driveway. The car has never overheated, smoked, or smelled burn-y. The engine doesn't sound crazy loud for an old car, no knocking, grinding, or jackhammer sounds either. Now that I put the oil in, it does sound quieter and smoother.
At any rate, my mechanic is closed today and I am filled with dread that I just totally destroyed my engine. The extent of my driving is about 120 miles a week to and from school. I am extremely poor and can barely afford groceries right now (I'm a student, who was just laid off) so my anxiety about this is running high. I realize my huge mistake in not checking the oil sooner. I feel terribly stupid for this.
Can anyone lend any insight to my ordeal? Is my engine likely to be destroyed?
I will obviously call my mechanic asap tomorrow but would like some anecdotal advice if anyone can help. Practical advice is very much welcome as well (should I drive it around to get the oil moving? etc)
Overfilling is a a thing, a thing that I have done. It was sub-optimal. By that I mean that oil spilled out all over the engine, hot and smoking, while I was driving on the Interstate. Car was OK after a tow to the shop for steam-cleaning of the engine and draining of excess oil.
posted by thelonius at 10:33 AM on October 25, 2015
posted by thelonius at 10:33 AM on October 25, 2015
Best answer: I am filled with dread that I just totally destroyed my engine.
It's possible, yes.
Now that I put the oil in, it does sound quieter and smoother.
This is why it is possible. If the oil level makes a noticeable difference to the sound an engine makes, it was doing *some* damage running it that low, but not necessarily catastrophic damage (just 'life shortening').
The car has never overheated, smoked, or smelled burn-y.
None of these are a symptom of 'not enough oil'.
I ended up immediately putting 4 quarts of oil in the car, which I understand now was probably not such a good idea.
Of course not. Why would 'filling it to the maximum mark' not be the correct response? Adding a ton of oil makes no sense. It IS possible to overfill it, but it sounds like you have maybe 2 quarts over maximum based on what I can tell of your description. Did you not dip the oil again when you filled it up? Check it now and report back. If that is all it is, you can probably get away with driving it like that until it burns the excess off or leaks it out.
Your mechanic will not be able to tell you anything without taking it apart. My suggestion is to check the oil, establish if it is over-full (either here or with your mechanic's advice) and then just drive it and watch the oil level religiously. If you can't spend money on the car, then just drive it and hope for the best. If the low oil did damage, then there's not much you can do beyond replace the bearings and other damaged components and that will be pricey. Starting to save for a used engine from a breakers yard (maybe $700 plus fitting?) is likely your best bet.
posted by Brockles at 10:37 AM on October 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
It's possible, yes.
Now that I put the oil in, it does sound quieter and smoother.
This is why it is possible. If the oil level makes a noticeable difference to the sound an engine makes, it was doing *some* damage running it that low, but not necessarily catastrophic damage (just 'life shortening').
The car has never overheated, smoked, or smelled burn-y.
None of these are a symptom of 'not enough oil'.
I ended up immediately putting 4 quarts of oil in the car, which I understand now was probably not such a good idea.
Of course not. Why would 'filling it to the maximum mark' not be the correct response? Adding a ton of oil makes no sense. It IS possible to overfill it, but it sounds like you have maybe 2 quarts over maximum based on what I can tell of your description. Did you not dip the oil again when you filled it up? Check it now and report back. If that is all it is, you can probably get away with driving it like that until it burns the excess off or leaks it out.
Your mechanic will not be able to tell you anything without taking it apart. My suggestion is to check the oil, establish if it is over-full (either here or with your mechanic's advice) and then just drive it and watch the oil level religiously. If you can't spend money on the car, then just drive it and hope for the best. If the low oil did damage, then there's not much you can do beyond replace the bearings and other damaged components and that will be pricey. Starting to save for a used engine from a breakers yard (maybe $700 plus fitting?) is likely your best bet.
posted by Brockles at 10:37 AM on October 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: The oil is right at the full line, so I guess I dodged that bullet.
Thanks for the responses so far.
posted by eggs at 10:41 AM on October 25, 2015
Thanks for the responses so far.
posted by eggs at 10:41 AM on October 25, 2015
You absolutely need to check the oil when the car is level.
posted by Specklet at 11:07 AM on October 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Specklet at 11:07 AM on October 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
There have been several instances of running an engine on very small amounts of oil in my family's background. None resulted in severe engine damage. If you didn't see a low oil light on your dash, you should be OK.
I know nothing about Hondas, but most engines hold about half the oil or more in a sump to give it time to cool between trips through the engine.
posted by SemiSalt at 11:15 AM on October 25, 2015
I know nothing about Hondas, but most engines hold about half the oil or more in a sump to give it time to cool between trips through the engine.
posted by SemiSalt at 11:15 AM on October 25, 2015
The Car Talk guys were fantastic for this kind of advice. Here's what they have to say about a car burning a lot of oil...
posted by cecic at 11:24 AM on October 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by cecic at 11:24 AM on October 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
The oil is right at the full line, so I guess I dodged that bullet.
Well... that's good and bad. Your car takes about 4 to 4.5 quarts of oil *total* so if 4 quarts filled it then it has been running very, very dry indeed. I would consider it incredibly unlikely that you got away without damaged it. The 'noise' is from components touching other components that are usually held apart by oil pressure or oil film, so you will have done some damage, for sure, but there is no way of knowing how much without taking it apart, which pretty much leaves you back where you were. Check the oil every 200 miles until you work out how much it is using and can predict how many miles it is from max to min. Keep it above min at all times.
If you lost the oil fairly quickly at the end of the time since you last run it (in which case you will have a noticeable leak when you refill and run it) then you may be very, very lucky and get away with it. But if it lost the oil over a longer period then it is very likely the engine ran with less than the necessary oil pressure and this will almost certainly have damaged the engine. Again, not necessarily catastrophically, but certainly tangible damage.
If you didn't see a low oil light on your dash, you should be OK.
This is not at all a valid metric. Engine oil lights typically light up below 4psi or somewhere in that region - far below the necessary pressure required to safely run the engine for any length of time. Depending on the engine, this is about 10-15% of the pressure the engine needs to run normally. Engine oil lights are usually only helpful for sudden loss of oil (ie a hole in the sump) so you can shut it off quick before damage occurs (ie within a few seconds of oil loss). Prolonged running with very little oil that is just above the threshold of the oil warning light absolutely *will* damage your engine. The OP will have to have been fortunate in the extreme to have avoided damage.
most engines hold about half the oil or more in a sump to give it time to cool between trips through the engine.
This is not at all true. It is more like 90-95% of the oil in the engine is in the sump when the engine is not running. There may be 50% in there when it is running, but most of it is in there when it is not running.
posted by Brockles at 11:25 AM on October 25, 2015 [7 favorites]
Well... that's good and bad. Your car takes about 4 to 4.5 quarts of oil *total* so if 4 quarts filled it then it has been running very, very dry indeed. I would consider it incredibly unlikely that you got away without damaged it. The 'noise' is from components touching other components that are usually held apart by oil pressure or oil film, so you will have done some damage, for sure, but there is no way of knowing how much without taking it apart, which pretty much leaves you back where you were. Check the oil every 200 miles until you work out how much it is using and can predict how many miles it is from max to min. Keep it above min at all times.
If you lost the oil fairly quickly at the end of the time since you last run it (in which case you will have a noticeable leak when you refill and run it) then you may be very, very lucky and get away with it. But if it lost the oil over a longer period then it is very likely the engine ran with less than the necessary oil pressure and this will almost certainly have damaged the engine. Again, not necessarily catastrophically, but certainly tangible damage.
If you didn't see a low oil light on your dash, you should be OK.
This is not at all a valid metric. Engine oil lights typically light up below 4psi or somewhere in that region - far below the necessary pressure required to safely run the engine for any length of time. Depending on the engine, this is about 10-15% of the pressure the engine needs to run normally. Engine oil lights are usually only helpful for sudden loss of oil (ie a hole in the sump) so you can shut it off quick before damage occurs (ie within a few seconds of oil loss). Prolonged running with very little oil that is just above the threshold of the oil warning light absolutely *will* damage your engine. The OP will have to have been fortunate in the extreme to have avoided damage.
most engines hold about half the oil or more in a sump to give it time to cool between trips through the engine.
This is not at all true. It is more like 90-95% of the oil in the engine is in the sump when the engine is not running. There may be 50% in there when it is running, but most of it is in there when it is not running.
posted by Brockles at 11:25 AM on October 25, 2015 [7 favorites]
More urgently, you need to resolve the difference between "changed the oil a month ago" and "put 4 quarts in" and "haven't noticed any leaks". Because that is a LOT of oil to lose in a month.
posted by Dashy at 12:47 PM on October 25, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Dashy at 12:47 PM on October 25, 2015 [4 favorites]
Best answer: As far as the immediate future is concerned, check the oil frequently (daily might be good, even though your daily mileage is low). You also might try to identify where the oil is going. If it is leaking, look for puddles under the car after it has stood for a while. Is there any fresh oil visible on the exterior of the engine or underneath it? Fixing the leak may be cheap and it won't undo any damage, but will save you doing constant checks of the oil level and the cost of topping up (if that is the only cause of your high oil consumption).
If the engine is burning oil, you will see the smoke behind the car, either on acceleration, when coasting downhill, or when accelerating after a period of coasting. This can help identify what parts have worn to cause the oil to get where it shouldn't be. Not that that will make much difference, in your situation a replacement secondhand engine will be cheaper than a repair, but means that you will need to monitor your oil level closely. It would also mean that the writing is on the wall, and that at some time in the future you will need to replace the car or the engine.
I have been slack, and had to put large quantities of oil in different cars on occasion, and got away with it. But they were not Hondas, which are generally less tolerant of that sort of abuse.
posted by GeeEmm at 3:25 PM on October 25, 2015
If the engine is burning oil, you will see the smoke behind the car, either on acceleration, when coasting downhill, or when accelerating after a period of coasting. This can help identify what parts have worn to cause the oil to get where it shouldn't be. Not that that will make much difference, in your situation a replacement secondhand engine will be cheaper than a repair, but means that you will need to monitor your oil level closely. It would also mean that the writing is on the wall, and that at some time in the future you will need to replace the car or the engine.
I have been slack, and had to put large quantities of oil in different cars on occasion, and got away with it. But they were not Hondas, which are generally less tolerant of that sort of abuse.
posted by GeeEmm at 3:25 PM on October 25, 2015
Have your mechanic check the "oil sending unit". On my old Toyota, the sensing unit was small plastic $5 piece but when it broke it dumped all the oil pretty quick. Luckily my mom noticed the oil in the carport and called my grandparents to tell me to check it when I got to their house. Yep...oil almost gone. No damage done to the engine though because we caught it as it happened.
posted by MultiFaceted at 3:36 PM on October 25, 2015
posted by MultiFaceted at 3:36 PM on October 25, 2015
Slanted driveways affect oil readings. It's possible you measured wrong the first time.
posted by just.good.enough at 11:50 PM on October 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by just.good.enough at 11:50 PM on October 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
look in the container where you add antifreeze to the radiator: does the fluid look cloudy/oily? this sounds like the head gasket might be failing... unfortunately.
posted by ennui.bz at 12:26 AM on October 26, 2015
posted by ennui.bz at 12:26 AM on October 26, 2015
It's a 95 Honda Civic. The engines for it notoriously drinks oil. Change it, or get it changed ever 3 months or so. Also, keep an eye out on the timing belt.
Especially if you've got a VTEC (and on both accounts; my little Del Sol - RIP). Otherwise, find a folded down cardboard box or something, split it open, and leave it under your car. Forensically identify what (if any) fluid came out, or from where. Where the drips occur can help the techs identify where the problem(s) may be (you can get a drip that doesn't directly hit floor; it hits some other part of the car, pools, then drips elsewhere).
posted by porpoise at 10:51 PM on October 26, 2015
Especially if you've got a VTEC (and on both accounts; my little Del Sol - RIP). Otherwise, find a folded down cardboard box or something, split it open, and leave it under your car. Forensically identify what (if any) fluid came out, or from where. Where the drips occur can help the techs identify where the problem(s) may be (you can get a drip that doesn't directly hit floor; it hits some other part of the car, pools, then drips elsewhere).
posted by porpoise at 10:51 PM on October 26, 2015
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posted by jon1270 at 10:32 AM on October 25, 2015